My name is Mrs. D. and I am an author of children's books. Currently, I’m juggling many projects including several new books. I love to write. I love this beautiful language. I write because I have something to share. I write because maybe someday, someone in this world may need my experience. I write for one simple reason. I love how it makes me feel: free.

We're just going to knock out the unnecessary floors designed by F.D.R., published by PM Magazine on May 18, 1942, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

Insure your home against Hitler!, published by PM Magazine on July 28, 1942, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

In Russia a chap, so we're told, knits an object strange to behold. Asked what is his gag, he says 'This is the bag that the great Adolf will hold!,' published by PM Magazine on August 11, 1941, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

Ted was haunted by the war in Europe, and one evening in Manhattan he showed an editorial cartoon he had drawn to his friend Zinny Vanderlip Schoales, the brilliant, hard-drinking intellectual…. She had joined the patrician liberal Ralph Ingersoll when he launched the tabloid newspaper PMin New York with the backing of Marshall Field III. Zinny took Ted’s cartoon to Ingersoll and PM published it on January 30, 1941…

Maybe it's none of our business... but how much are YOU giving this Christmas in U.S. War Bonds and Stamps?, published by PM Magazine on December 22, 1942, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

Wipe that sneer off his face!, published by PM Magazine on October 13, 1942, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

Time to swap the old book for a set of brass knuckles, published by PM Magazine on December 30, 1941, Dr. Seuss Collection, MSS 230. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UC San Diego

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A Google Maps Tour of Famous Authors’ Homes

Awhile back we took a virtual tour of Old Hollywood film locations from last year’s Best Picture-winner, The Artist. Because there’s nothing we love more than virtual globetrotting and literary legends, we thought we’d take a gander at some of the more notable places that our favorite authors have lived. Hey, why not? From Joan Didion’s sprawling sun drenched estate that was her beloved Quintana Roo’s first home to the narrow passage where Ernest Hemingway lived while writing his ode to Paris, click through to check out Google’s rendition of significant literary locations around the world.

Sadly the little apartment Hemingway shared with his first wife, Hadley, and their son Bumby is long gone. However, according to an American blogger living in Paris, a secret passage from the expat heyday is still there. Hemingway describes the shortcut in A Moveable Feast, by writing that he walked out of his apartment and often cut into the back door of a boulangerie as a shortcut up to the main drag – Blvd. Montparnasse. Fun fact: As an homage to the literary legend, someone painted an image of Hemingway on the back door of the boulangerie that you can still see today.

In The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion describes the home where she and her husband, John Dunne, lived briefly by writing, “One day I would notice a familiar stretch of coastal highway in a television commercial and realize it was the gate house, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at Portuguese Bend, to which John and I had brought Quintana home from St. John’s Hospital. Neither the house nor its gate could be seen in the commercial but I experienced a sudden rush of memories: getting out of the car on that highway to open the gate so that John could drive through; watching the tide come in and float a car that was sitting on our beach to be shot for a commercial; sterilizing bottles for Quintana’s formula while the gamecock that lived on the property followed me companionably from window to window.”

After years of living in Paris and London, Burroughs returned to New York City in 1974 and shared an apartment with the painter, Mark Rothko. Dubbed ‘The Bunker,’ it was then a partially converted YMCA, complete with lockers and communal showers. Just down the street from the New Museum, the ground floor now houses Green Depot, the nation’s leading supplier of environmentally friendly building products, services and home solutions.

Patti Smith’s Chelsea Hotel apartment at 222 West 23rd Street – New York, New York

Kerouac crashed with his girlfriend at the time, Helen Weaver, at this gorgeous courtyard apartment. While he was there he revised On the Road and wrote part of Desolation Angels , which mentions this building and its “Dickensian windows.” Fun fact: Photographer Annie Liebowitz now owns it.

John Steinbeck lived at what is today the Tahoe City Field Station, working as a caretaker at the fish hatchery. He lived in a little wooden cottage behind the main building after dropping out of Standford to write his first novel, Cup of Gold, a swashbuckling Caribbean pirate romance. Story has it that he got himself fired from the hatchery for womanizing and shooting holes in the ceiling of the tiny abode.

Mark Twain’s childhood home at 120 North Main Street — Hannibal, Missouri

Mark Twain’s childhood home on the west bank of the Mississippi River is now the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. He lived here from 1844 to 1853, and found inspiration for many of his stories in and around Hannibal’s quaint Main Street. Fun fact: Tom Sawyer’s legendary white picket fence encloses the humble home’s property. You can see it in the foreground of the Google Street View.

The former apartment of the famous writer is now the F. M. Dostoevsky Literary Memorial Museum. Although he didn’t live here his entire life, he did write two of his most notable works while living in the building, The Double: A Petersburg Poem and his last novel, The Brothers Karamazov which he finished shortly before his death in 1881.

For almost as long as we've had civilization, we've lost it. There are records going back hundreds of years of explorers discovering huge temples encrusted with jungle, or giant pits full of treasure that were once grand palaces. Why did people abandon these once-thriving cities, agricultural centers, and trade routes? Often, the answer is unknown. Here are ten great civilizations whose demise remains a mystery.

The Maya are perhaps the classic example of a civilization that was completely lost, its great monuments, cities and roads swallowed up by the central American jungles, and its peoples scattered to small villages. Though the languages and traditions of the Maya still survive up to the present day, the civilization's peak was during the first millennium AD, when their greatest architectural feats and massive agricultural projects covered a vast region in the Yucatán — today, an area stretching from Mexico to Guatemala and Belize. One of the largest Mesoamerican civilizations, the Maya made extensive use of writing, math, an elaborate calendar, and sophisticated engineering to build their pyramids and terraced farms. Though it's often said that the Maya civilization began a mysterious decline in roughly the year 900, a great deal of evidence points to climate change in the Yucatán combined with internecine warfare, which resulted in famine and abandonment of the city centers.

One of the great civilizations of the ancient world is called simply the Indus or Harappan civilization. Thousands of years ago, it may have boasted up to 5 million people, almost 10 percent of the world's population, spread over a region that encompassed parts of today's India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. But its grand walkways (with sophisticated roadside drainage), metallurgy shops, and massive, multistory, brick hives of houses were abandoned over 3,000 years ago. It's likely that this ancient civilization, like the Maya, suffered from gradual changes in rainfall patterns that made it difficult for its peoples to raise enough food for their massive population.

The people of Eastern Island represent another classic "lost" civilization, famed in part for its enigmatic, enormous stone statues of human heads (called Moai) lined up along the island's coastline. How did this thriving Polynesian civilization disappear after centuries of monument-building and navigating hundreds of miles of ocean waters to go from island to island? Jared Diamond sums up what many scientists now believe in his book Collapse, which is that the Easter Islanders were incredibly sophisticated, but their methods weren't sustainable. During the time they settled Easter Island, possibly between 700-1200 AD, they used up all the island's trees and agricultural resources, and then had to move on.

Often called the world's oldest city, Catalhöyük was part of a large city-building and agricultural civilization thriving between 9,000-7,000 years ago in what is today south-central Turkey. What's interesting about Catalhöyük is its structure, which is quite unlike most other cities since. It contained no roads as we know them, and was instead built sort of like a hive, with houses built next to each other and entered through holes in the roofs. It's believed that people farmed everything from wheat to almonds outside the city walls, and got to their homes via ladders and sidewalks that traversed their roofs. Often, these people decorated the entrances to their homes with bull skulls, and buried the bones of their honored dead beneath the packed dirt of their floors. The civilization was pre-Iron Age and pre-literate, but they nevertheless left behind ample evidence of a sophisticated society, full of art and and public ritual, that was possibly 10,000 strong at many points in its 2,000 year existence. Why did people eventually abandon the city? It is unknown.

Long before Europeans made it to North America, the so-called Mississippians had build a great city surrounded by huge earthen pyramids and a Stonehenge-like structure made of wood to track the movements of the stars. Called Cahokia today, you can still see its remains in Illinois. At its height between 600-1400 AD, the city sprawled across 6 square miles, and contained almost a hundred earthen mounds as well as an enormous grand plaza at its center. Its population might have been as much as 40,000 people, some of whom would have lived in outlying villages. The people of this great city, the biggest so far north in Mesoamerica, were brilliant artists, architects, and farmers, creating incredible art with shells, copper, and stone. They even diverted a branch of the local Mississippi and Illinois rivers to suit their needs for irrigation. It's not entirely certain what led people to abandon the city starting in the 1200s, but some archaeologists say the city had always had problems with disease and famine (it had no sanitary system to speak of), and that people left for greener (and healthier) pastures elsewhere on the Mississippi River.

6. Göbekli Tepe

One of the most mysterious human structures ever discovered, Göbekli Tepe was probably built in 10,000 BCE, and is located in today's southern Turkey. A series of nested, circular walls and steles, or monoliths, carved evocatively with animals, the place probably served as a temple for nomadic tribes in the area. It was not a permanent residence, though it's possible a few priests lived there all year. It is the first permanent human-built structure that we have ever found, and probably represented the pinnacle of the local Mesopotamian civilization of its era. What were people worshiping there? When did they come? Were they there to do something other than worship? We may never know, but archaeologists are working hard to find out.

Most people have heard of the magnificent temple Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But it was only one small part of a massive urban civilization during the Khmer Empire called Angkor. The city flourished during the late middle ages, from 1000-1200 AD, and may have supported up to a million people. There are a lot of good reasons why Angkor may have fallen, ranging from war to natural disaster. Now most of it lies beneath the jungle. A marvel of architecture and Hindu culture, the city is mysterious mostly because we still aren't certain how many people lived there. Given all the roads and canals connecting its many regions, some archaeologists believe it may have been the biggest urban site in the world at its height.

8. The Turquoise Mountain

Though not every crumbling monument represents a lost civilization, some of them do. Such is the case with the Minaret of Jam, a gorgeous architectural feat built in the 1100s as part of a city in Afghanistan, where archaeological remains suggest that it was a cosmopolitan area where many religions, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims, lived together harmoniously for hundreds of years. It's possible that the incredible minaret was part of the lost medieval capital of Afghanistan, called Turquoise Mountain.

Now a desolate spot in the Taklamakan Desert of Xinjiang province in China, 1600 years ago Niya was a thriving city in an oasis along the famous Silk Road. For the past two centuries, archaeologists have uncovered countless treasures in the dusty, shattered remains of what was once a graceful town full of wooden houses and temples. In a sense, Niya is a relic of the lost civilization of the early Silk Road, a trade route that linked China with Central Asia, Africa, and Europe.Many groups traveled the Silk Road, from wealthy merchants and religious pilgrims to scholars and scientists, exchanging ideas and creating a complex, enlightened culture everywhere the 4,000 mile Silk Road passed. The route underwent many changes, but its importance as a trade route waned as the Mongol Empire collapsed in the 1300s. Traders afterwards preferred sea routes for trade with China.

From 7000 and 6500 BCE, an incredible urban community arose in what is today the Egyptian Sahara. The people who lived there domesticated cattle, farmed, created elaborate ceramics, and left behind stone circles that offer evidence that their civilization included astronomers as well.Archaeologists believe the peoples of Nabta Playa were likely the precursor civilization for the great Nile cities that arose in Egypt thousands of years later. Though the Nabta civilization is today located in an arid region, it arose at a time when monsoon patterns had shifted, filling the playa with a lake and making it possible for a large culture to bloom.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins

Mrs. D's books: 5 Star Readers’ Favorite

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Mrs.D's Published Books

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Who Let the Cookies Out? (Grandma's Cookies Stories)

Not your normal cookies!Who doesn‛t like cookies, especially cookies that willtake you on a tasty but nutty adventure?This delicious story begins in Grandma‛s kitchen when she decides to surprise her grandson‛s pre-K with holiday cookies. But little did she know what a mess her nutty cookies would create at her grandson‛s school. They just can‛t resist being nuts!This scrumptious tale proves the old saying that we‛re all made from the same “dough,” but a few “nuts” can spoil the batch.Brace yourself for a yummy book that will keep your giggles coming with every page you turn!

Baby from the Moon

A perfect book for bedtime snuggles! "Baby from the Moon" is a tale about a single wish - to find a mommy, whom Baby G saw many times in his dreams while living in the sky before his birth. It is a sweet story of the baby boy and his birth that celebrates life, joy, and encouragement, while satisfying the curiosity of young children how they came into this world. A touching journey of the tiny boy, who wants nothing more then to meet his mommy, this is a gentle introduction and inspiration for every child with dreams. A beautiful story and amazing artwork will keep children's imaginations flying from page to page filled with loving twists and turns. Children might discover something surprising about their birth and themselves. A fantastic gift for a new mommy and baby!

WINNERS OF THE READER'S FAVORITE CONTEST!

This was the largest contest ever and competition was fierce. Honored!

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FROM MRS.D.

Parents who want to make the most of storytelling activities with their children should focus on finding books and stories that have meaning and provide valuable lessons. Mrs.D.’s colorful and heartwarming children’s books will not only capture a child’s imagination but will also teach children the true meaning of friendship, family, love, and self-acceptance. They will give parents, grandparents, babysitters, and those who love to read an interesting way to spend time together. Mrs.D.Books blog is about the world of children’s books, self-publishing experiences, recommendations and helpful sites for authors, useful posts from a variety of sources about marketing tools, e-books, children’s apps, book trailers, book buzz, how to sell more books, interesting articles about children’s literature, lists of children’s books, news about children’s authors, art, photography, new discoveries, and more. Brace yourself for an unusual journey...Guest bloggers are welcome!

A Taste of Bread -PUBLISHED!

THAT IS HOW THINGS ARE - PUBLISHED!

(Two connected stories) “The Autumn Wind”—A moving story about the powerful wind and the peaceful garden, and how things change quickly when the callous autumn wind unleashes his power. “The Kitten and the Sparrow”—A heartwarming story about friendship between a kitten and a sparrow, and how the little kitten learns about the power of nature.

The Mysterious Life Inside a Closet - PUBLISHED!

Who made a mess in the closet? This enchanting story contains an amusing dialogue between the strange occupants of a closet and a curious kitten. Much to its surprise, the nosy kitten finds itself in the middle of a huge disagreement between the black broom and the other occupants of the closet. The blue sponge is sensitive, the purple duster is upset, the red vacuum cleaner is furious, and the black broom cannot rest until she discovers who made the mess. Sneak into a dark closet with a kitten and see who causes mayhem! Was it the silver bucket, the green dustpan, the lost slipper, the sleepy mop, or the old cat that made the mess? Read and reread this story until you find out! This entertaining story may start with a mess, but it ends with children laughing!

PUBLISHED!

These fun rhyming stories introduce young readers to delightful food characters with goofy personalities, real feelings, passions and fears, who always disagree with each other about who will feed a hungry little girl first.

PUBLISHED!

What's Going On Inside the Fridge? Story 2

PUBLISHED!

Who Is Most Important in the Fridge? Story 3

THE TREES HAVE HEARTS - MULTI AWARD WINNER!

Poignant and imaginative, this story will easily find a spot in the reader’s heart. The rich storytelling and unforgettable characters add flavor to an already delightful story line. This book opens a surprising imaginary world as seen through the eyes of a child…

GOOD MORNING, WORLD!-Honored for Excellence by the Mom's Choice and Readers' Favorite Awards

Glide gently into the beautiful morning with Baby Thomas and his grandpa. The sun is shining brightly through the wide window and the flowers, trees, birds, and other creatures have already started their day. Brilliant colors of the dawning day wake up the park, and Baby Thomas is ready for a walk. While walking in the park with his grandpa, they see the same things but from a different perspective. Baby Thomas wants to hug the wonderful world around him, but his grandpa has a different opinion. In this book, young readers will easily connect to the wonders of nature and unforgettable characters, playfully interacting with each other. Join happy Baby Thomas and his grandpa for a walk and have a delightful, uplifting morning!

READERS' FAVORITE and MOM'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER!

A Christmas story about sharing and giving. The old cat likes her settled life and is not happy about the new arrivals. She’s also very protective of her belongings. The city kittens annoy her, and the old cat grumbles about the new additions to the family—until she hears a story one night that makes her feel bad. The kittens aren’t the soft or spoiled brats she had thought they were …

An enlightening story about a little girl named Nika who didn’t want to take care of her clothes and toys. One hazy morning when Nika opened her closet, she discovered that it was empty. Her clothes had disappeared! What had happened to her shirts and pants? Where did her favorite dresses, coats, and socks go? Why did they leave her with just her pajamas on this misty morning? Will they come back? Taking a closer look at her room, Nika starts thinking about her attitude toward her clothes and toys. “How easy it is to lose something you love so much.” She learns an important lesson at the end of this story. Watch your children have a blast reading this story while learning valuable lessons.

The Royal Palm-Mom's Choice Awards and Readers' Favorite Winner

A thought-provoking tale of the journey of a royal palm born on a tiny island surrounded by mysterious waters. This tender story explores the world of someone wrapped up in herself. Protected by her cousins, the short plain palms, the royal palm grew up beautiful, but very self-centered. Dreaming about life outside the island, she did not bother with her friends, who lived as one big family. Immersed in her own beauty, she only cared for herself, until one day a hurricane struck the tiny island. Then the Royal Palm discovered the true meaning of family and real friendship. Inspiring story with valuable lessons to be learned and shared.

The Little Girl Praying on the Hill - Readers' Favorite International Gold Winner

"The Little Girl Praying on the Hill" is a bittersweet story based on the emotional childhood memories of a young girl determined to understand the purpose for her existence. Growing up in a poor village of the post-World War II era in a country where half the men drink themselves to death by the age of forty, the confused child questions God. The beauty of nature around her animates her and paints the perfect combination of colors, but life in her rundown village, sinking in mud after each rainfall, is a strong contrast. She exists between two worlds: her beautiful imagination and the harsh realities of life. The picture of majestic nature does not fit with the picture that God created for the people he loves. Why did he divide this world so unevenly? Why did he drop her in the wrong place? Her emotions rise to unreachable heights and sink to devastating lows. The gripping beauty of his creation mesmerizes her young mind, but only for a moment before her memories of specific events make her doubt God's intentions.

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CARLO THE MOUSE ON VACATION_NEW SERIES

Heading your way!A funny stories, full of the adventures and troubles of Carlo the mouse, who lives a simple life in a Florida hospital but always dreams of greater things. In these vibrant books, a daring mouse takes center stage in an adventure even bigger than his appetite...

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CARLO THE MOUSE,BOOK 1_PUBLISHED!

TOO MANY RULES FOR ONE LITTLE MOUSE! Grab your boots and hold on to your hat, because you are in for an exciting trip! The new series of Carlo the Mouse has been born. Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse is the first in a series of books on Carlo’s adventures. Each book will give readers an entertaining look into the life of a little mouse born inside a hospital’s walls. Clever, curious, and very impatient, Carlo the mouse dreams of the world outside the hospital. His parents teach him how to follow the rules and how to survive on his own, but Carlo’s insatiable desire for adventure constantly gets him in trouble. Will the little adventurer manage to survive when he leaves home? You’ll find out in Mrs. D.’s next books on Carlo the mouse. Let your imagination soar in this full series of Carlo’s adventures!

PUBLISHED!CARLO THE MOUSE,BOOK 2

NOW WE'RE TALKING! Listen to the news and keep your eyes open, because a curious little mouse has had his wish come true! Now We’re Talking! is the second in a series of books on Carlo’s adventures. This nosy little mouse leaves home for the first time to explore life inside the hospital. But Hospitalia is a strange place, and there’s no place for him to hide. Cold, sterile, and unfriendly, the hospital looks nothing like Carlo had imagined while sitting at home. Before he knows what’s up, the kitchen staff are on his tail. Will the hungry mouse manage to trick the hospital manager, cook, and exterminator without breaking the rules his parents taught him? You’ll find out in Mrs. D.’s next book on Carlo the Mouse, What’s Going On? If this clever mouse outwits you, don’t get discouraged. Keep reading and follow Carlo’s adventures!

CARLO THE MOUSE, BOOK 3_PUBLISHED!

WHAT'S GOING ON? Trouble! Where did that ravenous little mouse come from who’s disturbing the peace in the hospital? What’s Going On? is the third in a series of books on the adventures of Carlo the mouse. Carlo knew he was not supposed to go near the manager’s office, but when the kitchen staff were chasing him, he made a choice that started a war. This is only Carlo’s first time out, and already everyone is after him. Imagine what could happen when he learns his way around the hospital! He likes to eat, and is growing like a mushroom after the rain. Will this be the end of our curious little mouse, or will Carlo manage to outsmart the clever manager, angry cook, and sneaky exterminator so he can go home safely? You’ll find out in Mrs. D.’s next books on Carlo the mouse. Remember, Hospitalia is a strange place …

CARLO THE MOUSE, BOOK 4_PUBLISHED

RULES ARE FOR A REASON - More trouble for the Most Wanted Mouse! The hospital cook, manager, and exterminator have proclaimed war against the mice of the world! Rules Are for a Reason is the fourth in a series of books on Carlo the mouse. Always hungry, the curious little mouse snoops underneath each door, driving the hospital staff crazy. He’s constantly breaking the rules his parents taught him. One morning, Carlo wakes up sick. Horrified, he leaps from his bed and looks in the mirror—and finds he looks like a meatball! Fly disease? Mousesclerosis? Chickenpoxsclerosis? Sounds long! What sickness did the carefree mouse catch while exploring the hospital? Will Carlo turn into a chicken … or a frog … or maybe a prince? You’ll find out in the next book on Carlo’s adventures: Nothing Is Safe in a Mouse’s Life. If you want to know if Carlo will learn to follow the rules Papa Mouse and Mama Mouse taught him, you must read every day and follow your parents’ rules. More exciting adventures of Carlo the Mouse await you!

CARLO THE MOUSE,BOOK 5-PUBLISHED!

NOTHING IS SAFE IN A MOUSE'S LIFE - A whisker-licking story of one kind little mouse! Who would ever suspect that Carlo would meet Fidel the cat inside the hospital? Who would ever believe that the tricky young mouse would outsmart the old cat? Who would ever imagine that for the first time in his life, the daring mouse would venture away from his home and find himself outside the hospital? Homeless, cold, and hungry, Carlo and his family face attacks from vicious birds. Throughout his dangerous journey, Carlo finds adventure aplenty. He learns about life outside the hospital and the dangers that mice face on a daily basis. Determined to return home safely, Carlo has grown up and finally understands why he must obey the rules his parents taught him. Follow the unexpected adventures of this bold little mouse!

CARLO THE MOUSE,BOOK 6_PUBLISHED!

IT'S MY LIFE! Once a mouse falls in love, almost anything can happen! His heart skips a beat! He can’t eat, drink, or sleep! He is tossing in bed, losing rest and extra fat! He bleaches his brown hair and becomes a blond mouse! What is going on with Carlo? Papa Mouse is distressed. Is he getting a heart attack? Carlo looks like a bleached punk! Mama Mouse is in shock. Their little mouse has grown up, and he is in love with a cute mouse. He is getting married, dear friends! The young mouse gets his wish. He soon has a pretty wife and a bunch of kids, but he still dreams of seeing the world. Life is short, and a day can hold many adventures. Sliding off a roof, Carlo falls inside an open car trunk … Kick off your boots, hold your hats, and enjoy these books, my little friends! More books on Carlo the mouse are coming in the near future.